One time we were singing the turn-of-the-century song "And The Band Played On" on the horse-drawn streetcar. We noticed a lady guest was crying. Afterward we talked to her and she said her father used to sing that song to her at bedtime when she was a little girl. It really touched her to hear that song after so many years and impressed on me the power of music can have in people's lives, especially a song that we often take for granted and sing all the time.

One year during the holiday season we had several memorable experiences with singing "Silent Night." One time a young girl did sign language for the assembled guests as we sang and the song took on a new meaning in her lyrical and beautiful sign language. Another time a young blind boy sang "Silent Night" to us all by himself. I remember distinctly having the sense that amidst all the hustle bustle and crowds there was this quiet place around this little boy that made everyone stop and listen. It really put the hectic holidays in perspective to have a genuine moment like this at the park.

Those are just a few of the many fond memories I have singing with the Dapper Dans.

How do you choose just one magical memory from the entire history of Disneyland? The park is a veritable factory line of memories. Most of them qualify as magical and most of those are special enough that I want to remember them forever.

Here's an incomplete list of some items I was considering submitting: the bicentennial parade, my first ride on Space Mountain, the MSEP farewell performance, my best friend's wedding proposal, nearly every performance of the Festival of Fools, the classic Golden Horseshoe Revue, the first time I saw Fantasmic!, the last time I ate at Stromboli's, watching a child watch the parade, and so many more.

Instead of those, I'm choosing a very current event that I know will be a Magical Memory for me years into the future.

For me, fireworks have always been an integral part of the Disneyland experience. When I was a child you would have to drag me kicking and screaming out the gates if we left before fireworks time. The current fireworks show, "Believe... There's Magic In The Stars", wraps up all those feelings and more. Now, thanks to new technology, excellent directorial vision, and hard work every night by behind-the-scenes cast members, we have a show that tells a story and paints the sky with targeted bursts of light and expression.

There are two very special moments in the show for me. The leading Tarzan segment holds the first one. Up until that point the effects in "Believe..." have been fairly conventional. But then, rising out of the back of Disneyland's boundary, eight blazing rockets with fiery tails scream up into the sky creating an enchanting curtain effect. The row of rockets is something totally unexpected, exciting, and new. It never fails to illicit a huge 'Ooh" of appreciation from the audience.

It's at that moment I begin to realize how connected we all are. How we've all been united in a common experience, the joy of fireworks and a show well done. How we can all look together to the void of sky and see the magic of possibilities. Each time I see the show, I try to soak up as much of that message of hope as possible and use it to get me through the week.

The second major moment for me in "Believe... There's Magic In The Stars" comes toward the end of the show. Three different golden explosions come together to form the distinctly familiar shape of a very special friend to you and me. That's right, Mickey Mouse.

Mickey really is what it's all about. A simple creature, with good character, who, when he finds himself in trouble, is always resourceful and brave enough to climb his way out. Many have said that Mickey Mouse is really an animated autobiography of Walt Disney. If true, that makes Walt Disney's oft quoted expression, "Remember... it all started with a mouse" all the more poignant. This huge incredible fireworks show, at this amazing-it-even-exists themepark, would not be here if it weren't for the dream of one man, who through his strengths and resourcefulness, has left this gift for us and the world.

That moment of understanding always leaves me with a tear in my eye and a song in my heart. I hope years from now, when "Believe..." has moved on, I can look back and summon up that feeling with this Magical Memory.

Related Links

• "Believe ... There's Magic in the Stars" (from the Disneyland attraction guide)

When I was 5 we set out to visit my grandparents in Phoenix. What myself and my three brothers and one little sister did not know was that we were going to get to go to Disneyland too. We drove from Marion, Iowa in a pickup with a camper on it. All I can remember thinking was how badly I wanted to meet Mickey Mouse. Low and behold right inside the gate there was the big cheese himself. That picture is one of my most cherished photos.

I also remember riding in the grand prix cars with my brother, he wasn't a very good driver so I kept banging my head on the bar inside the car. It's a Small World must have made a great impression on me as well, because my mother tells me that by the end of it I was singing the song at the top of my lungs, to everyones delight on the boat of course.

All of these things and Disney itself must have made a big impression on me because I now work for Disney at one of The Disney Stores. It is my fun job. My husband and I own our own business. I have even turned my husband into a Disneyac. I took him to Walt Disney World on our honeymoon and we haven't missed a year since. We even went twice within about a spance of three weeks once. I'm so proud to work for them, it's like a dream come true to be part of that which I love and have loved for so long.